【去年より少し味付けをあっさりさせた？】 : Meli-Melo

I visited this restaurant last year for lunch and quickly became a fan.

This time, I came with three friends for dinner.
The course is priced at JPY 7,600, all-inclusive. You choose the main dish from several options.
(Some items have additional charges)

Since I drove here, I started with non-alcoholic beer.

【Amuse Bouche】
Mushrooms resembling porcini topped with cheese and sliced egg mushroom. These are summer mushrooms that the chef foraged himself just last week. A great starter that brings a taste of Karuizawa’s season.

【Chilled Appetizer】
"Paté of Shinshu ayu with cucumber sauce and a sprinkle of sansho"… This ayu paté was also served last summer but is more substantial this year. The rich texture with a hint of bitterness is delicious. The paté is garnished with flower pepper for an accent.

【Homemade Rice Flour and Whole Wheat Bread】
This is the same as before. Enjoyed with some olive oil. I’d love to take this bread home.

【Warm Appetizer】
"Egg-based dish with eel and grilled eggplant, served with port wine sauce"… The summer truffle gives off a lovely aroma. Topped with amaranth, a superfood said to have more minerals than quinoa, this dish somehow feels rejuvenating.

【Soup】
"Pig trotter and bend bamboo, with a dukkah-flavoured jelly and herb aioli"… Full of collagen from the pig trotter. A surprising jelly-like dish that makes you think, is this really soup? It tastes quite good, especially when mixed with the sauce while eating.

For the **main course**, you select one from the following five options:
① "Poêlé white fish with sauce au chardonnay"… Today’s fish is the luxurious "Kijihata," which is known for its limited catch. Two of us chose this dish.

② "Roasted Shinshu ginjo pork with a Morillo-style sauce"… It has a distinctive fermented smell due to the fermented pork. One person chose this.

③ "Grilled summer venison from Takayama Village with a serviceberry sauce" + JPY 600

④ "Grilled Shinshu premium beef, top blade with fragrant mushroom sauce" + JPY 1,800

⑤ "Red wine braised cheek meat from local cattle" + JPY 800… I chose this. The meat is tender and falls apart. The sauce is surprisingly light for a red wine braise, leaving a somewhat mild impression.

To conclude, we enjoyed the restaurant’s signature dish, the Staub rice.
【Staub Rice】
"Light cream-styled dish with summer mushrooms and minced meat"… Hot Staub pot filled with ancient black rice, topped with a deliciously seasoned cream stew of mushrooms and minced meat. Mix it all together to enjoy. This Staub rice is the restaurant's signature dish, and it truly is delicious.

【Dessert】
"Compote of Shinshu apricots and panna cotta with almond powder, garnished with cocoa granita and milk gelato"… Just the right amount of sweetness, refreshing and delicious.

【Petits Fours】
A cookie with semi-dried fruit, mint caramel, and a lemon macaron are served as petits fours. I was quite full, so I only had the cookie, which was still delicious.

【Beverage】
"Coffee"… Even though I knew the coffee would complement the petits fours beautifully, I was too full to enjoy it with anything beyond the cookie. Nevertheless, the coffee is quite good.

After approximately two hours of dining, I had a wonderful time conversing, and the dishes were served at a great pace.

I remember being very impressed by Chef Shinohara's cooking on my first visit. The corn soup featuring burnt butter and popcorn from last time left a strong impression with its sweetness and flavor… I still feel the aftertaste.

It might sound a bit bold, but I felt that the flavors this time lacked a bit of definition and contrast. Perhaps it’s lighter for summer? Yet last summer’s visit was also during the same season.

Maybe the course price difference, with last year’s special lunch being slightly higher than this dinner menu, also plays a role. Overall, the quality is high, so it's not an issue—still, I would love to try last year’s special menu again.

By the way, Chef Shinohara, separate from the restaurant, plans to sell smoked "Shinshu salmon" raised on non-chemical feed from a clear stream flowing out from the foothills of Yatsugatake around September. I had the chance to taste it, and it was quite delicious. The herbs (bay leaf, thyme, rosemary) enhanced its deep flavor. I hope to see it in stores in various locations—it might pair well as a snack with drinks.

On this night, at the next table, a second round of guests arrived at 8 PM. Summer in Karuizawa is just starting to get busy.
Good luck, chef!

Exploring a few rumored delicious spots in Karuizawa...

I visited the French restaurant "Meli-Melo," which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It moved near the Shiozawa intersection in 2017, marking its second relocation.

This restaurant primarily uses local ingredients from Nagano Prefecture, allowing guests to savor the seasonal flavors of Shinshu.

Both lunch and dinner feature course meals. On this day, a few walk-in customers arrived for lunch, hoping to order à la carte but ended up leaving without dining.

The terrace seats outside allow for dining with pets.

I had made a reservation for the lunch "Menu Dégustation (JPY 8,400, tax included)" in advance.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, the seating capacity has been reduced, providing a relaxed dining atmosphere.

I started with a drink of "Perrier."

First up was the amuse-bouche: "High Sugar Tomato and Homemade Karasumi"... A mille-feuille made with sweet tomatoes and lightly salted karasumi. The contrast in flavors was delightful.

Next came the appetizer. Along with it, they served "Homemade Rice Flour and Whole Grain Bread."
The dish was "Ayuan (Sweetfish) Pâté with Gazpacho Sauce and Flower Pepper Foam..." The bitterness of the sweetfish combined beautifully with the gazpacho, and the foam added an elevated touch—it was clear this dish was of exceptional quality.
A triangle of thin dough, known as pâte brisée, was served on top, which could also be enjoyed with the sauce. Micro cucumbers, regular cucumbers, and flower pepper blossoms enhanced the texture and visual appeal. The remaining sauce was perfect for scooping up with the homemade bread.

Then we had "Scallop Quiche with Shrimp-Flavor Sauce"... The white flowers were carrot flowers. The shrimp flavor was aromatic, and the savory goodness of the scallops was very satisfying.

Next was the soup: "Chilled Sweet Corn Soup from Karuizawa"... This was no ordinary sweet corn soup; the addition of consomme jelly and burnt butter-flavored popcorn deepened the flavors and provided complexity.

For the fish course, I chose "Pan-Seared Isaki with Dugléré Sauce..." Dugléré sauce is a traditional French sauce made with mushrooms, shallots, and herbs simmered in white wine. The perfectly cooked white-fleshed isaki paired well with this sauce, which had a rich yet mellow flavor.

For the main course, I opted for chicken.
My partner upgraded for an additional JPY 1,500 to have "Shinshu Premium Beef (Minemura Beef) Chuck Flap Grilled with Fond de Veau Sauce..." I shared a taste of this tender, juicy piece of meat and was impressed by its quality.

My main dish was "Galantine of Chicken Stuffed with Liver and Gizzards from Sanada Maru"... Served with snap peas, white okra, zucchini, and broccoli, the chicken was stuffed with liver and gizzards. The taste was rich and delightful; one could easily tell the time and effort put into the dish just by slicing the chicken. It's clear this menu item is named after the word 'galant,' meaning refined.
The sauce was the same fond de veau sauce used with the shinshu premium beef.

Simultaneously, the restaurant’s specialty, Western-style "Staub Rice," was served. (It reminded me of sincere's sardines and foie gras.)
This month’s offering was "Rice Cooked with Egg and Bacon"... It used ancient rice, which needed proper mixing before savoring. An impressive specialty.

Lastly, we had dessert... "Panna Cotta with Peach Jelly, Compote, Yogurt Ice Cream, Muscat Grapes, Blueberries, and Peach" layered on top. Although delicious, it felt a bit overwhelming and complex; a simple panna cotta with just peaches might have sufficed. Apologies for being picky!

For "Mignardises"... We enjoyed three types: Coffee Caramel, Madeleines, and Macarons. The caramel on a skewer melts quickly, so it’s best to eat it right away.

The macarons and madeleines pair beautifully with coffee.

In Karuizawa, French and Italian restaurants compete fiercely, yet this place feels a cut above the rest in terms of quality.

While I don't want to spread the word too much, the flavors, the ambiance, the hostess's service, and the chef’s personal greeting at the end truly made it a favorite spot in Karuizawa.